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Week Four: Experimentation and Evolution

After our fabulous brainstorms, now it's time to select and create a prototype

June 12, 2012

You’ve come to many new ideas for library, and the next step is to start to choose some of those ideas and make them real. This doesn’t mean you’re finished... it means you’re starting to deepen your view on what could be possible... during this next phase of work, you’ll explore a few of your ideas by quickly, getting feedback from others, and consider how you would iterate on your ideas over time.

Sometimes the notion of prototyping an idea can seem intimidating, don’t let it. Many people find that once they dive in, the act of building and creating can be quite freeing and spark many more possibilities. Just get started, and don’t be too precious about your prototype! Build quickly and roughly. Consider this prototype a first draft, it shouldn’t yet be beautiful or perfect.

Experimentation

Experimentation brings your ideas to life. Building prototypes means making ideas tangible, learning while building them and sharing them with other people. Even with early and rough prototypes, you can receive a direct response and learn how to further improve and refine an idea.

Evolution

Evolution is the development of your concept over time. It involves planning next steps, communicating the idea to people who can help you realize it, and documenting the process.

Watch the videos to find out more about experimentation and then head over to the Project Room to complete your weekly activity. (link to week 4 on the ning)

IDEO Voices: How do you bring your ideas to life? Where do you go from here?